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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · craft · cap · bark · cue · rush · scale · band

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. key — in music
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cue — a hint
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. cap — a lid
  9. key — the most important part
  10. band — a ring
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. band — a music group
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cap — a hat
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. key — for a lock
  23. craft — boats
  24. bark — to shout

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com